CSOs Must Guard Nigeria’s AI Sovereignty, Demand Stronger Safeguards

Civil society organisations (CSOs) have been urged to push for stronger safeguards against foreign control of artificial intelligence (AI) systems and ensure Nigeria is not left vulnerable to decisions made by technology companies outside Africa.

Orodata Science, a Nigerian data science and research organisation, made the call in a policy brief titled “Pacing Frontier AI: Protecting Rights and Public-Interest Access in Nigeria,” released in Lagos on Wednesday.

The organisation warned that Nigeria’s growing dependence on foundational AI models developed and governed outside Africa could create strategic vulnerabilities, particularly where foreign platforms change pricing, licensing conditions, access policies or withdraw application programming interfaces.

Orodata said such disruptions could affect Nigerian start-ups and public-interest initiatives in healthcare, education and governance.

It urged CSOs to use existing frameworks, including the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and the African Union Continental AI Strategy, to demand stronger accountability from AI developers.

The organisation also called for funded African red-teaming, data sovereignty protections and equitable access to AI technologies, stressing that African institutions should have the capacity to test advanced AI systems against local realities.

Orodata said frontier AI governance should go beyond concerns about catastrophic risks to address everyday harms such as political disinformation, deepfakes, financial fraud, linguistic and cultural marginalisation and exploitation of African data workers.

It urged that advanced AI systems be evaluated for their performance in Nigerian languages, socio-political contexts, ethnic diversity and local fraud patterns.

According to the organisation, “pacing” frontier AI does not mean an outright halt to software development or withdrawal of existing digital services, but the introduction of regulatory checkpoints, red-teaming and capability thresholds before more advanced systems are trained or deployed.

Orodata further called for independent evaluation, harmonised industry safety standards and international coordination, saying independent evaluators should have adequate access to AI development processes throughout the training and deployment lifecycle.

It also urged international donors, development finance institutions and technology companies to provide financial and technical support to Nigerian universities, research institutions and CSOs undertaking AI safety testing tailored to African conditions.

The organisation said CSOs should be represented in international AI safety networks and consultations to ensure that Global South perspectives influence emerging global governance frameworks.

On regulation, Orodata advocated tiered liability and proportional compliance requirements, with AI developers held responsible for structural design flaws, baseline safety and inadequate testing, while organisations deploying AI should bear responsibilities based on the nature and potential impact of their applications.

It recommended meaningful human oversight for AI systems used in consequential decisions, including social welfare allocation and legal or community interventions.

Orodata also advised non-profit organisations to audit AI applications, restrict the transmission of sensitive beneficiary information into consumer AI systems, verify AI-generated outputs, demand clear supplier terms on data retention and security, and participate in civil society working groups.

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The organisation cautioned that voluntary commitments by technology companies should not be regarded as legally binding substitutes for enforceable regulation.

It urged Nigeria to begin strengthening AI safeguards without waiting for international consensus or new domestic legislation, stressing that responsible AI governance must protect democratic rights and social justice while ensuring Africans benefit from technological advancement.